Rep. Robin Kelly to Introduce Bill to Prevent High-Risk People from Buying Guns

WASHINGTON - Congresswoman Robin Kelly (IL-02) will introduce a bill tomorrow to prevent people with violent misdemeanors from owning or buying a firearm. The Keeping Guns from High-Risk Individuals Act prevents guns from falling into the hands of people with high-risk behaviors such as stalking, violent hate crimes, and domestic violence.

"I've introduced the Keeping Guns from High-Risk Individuals Act every Congress because dangerous individuals shouldn't be able to easily access firearms," said Congresswoman Robin Kelly (IL-02), Vice Chair of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force. "If someone has a history of violent behaviors, it's simply common sense to prevent that person from buying or owning a gun. Whenever a gun is present in a high-risk situation - whether that be a domestic violence emergency or hate crime - it instantly escalates the chances of injury or death. We should prevent a gun from entering the situation in the first place."

According to Everytown for Gun Safety, states with similar laws have seen an 18% reduction in all homicides.

The Keeping Guns from High-Risk Individuals Act implements the following:

• Prohibits people convicted of a violent misdemeanor offense from purchasing or possessing firearms for a period of five years from the date of conviction.
• Juveniles convicted of violent crimes are prohibited from purchasing a firearm until they reach the age of 25.
• Individuals specifically convicted of stalking are prohibited from purchasing or possessing firearms.

The Keeping Guns from High-Risk Individuals Act has been endorsed by several nationwide gun violence prevention organizations: Brady, Community Justice, Everytown for Gun Safety, GIFFORDS, March for Our Lives, and 97Percent.